SISTER ACT (Spring '11) to Be Helmed by Jerry Zaks

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 12:56pm

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/141008-Jerry-Zaks-Will-Stage-Sister-Act-Musical-On-Broadway

"Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks will helm the gospel-kissed musical SISTER ACT when the tuner arrives on Broadway in spring 2011...

Peter Schneider staged the original West End premiere of SISTER ACT. Anthony van Laast, who choreographed in London, will repeat his duties for Broadway."

Updated On: 7/8/10 at 12:56 PM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 12:58pm

I wonder how this will go.

But do expect a grand appearance from Broadway diva Dame Emma Zaks. Updated On: 7/8/10 at 12:58 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 12:59pm

Perhaps Emma Zaks will be portraying Sister Mary Tonedeaf...

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 1:05pm

Is the show still looking at the Hirshfeld?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 1:14pm

*Headdesk* *Headdesk* *Headdesk*

I had such high hopes for this show too!

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 1:20pm

I wonder why Jerry Zaks is directing, and not Peter Schneider.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 1:24pm

Peter Schneider (who was involved in initially optioning the rights to the material when he was at Disney) quietly left the show during tech in London over conflicts with the producers. While he retained his directorial title, most of the work from then on was done by a woman from Stage Entertainment billed as a "creative consultant."

Oddly enough, the situation is very similar to how Jerry Zaks worked on THE ADDAMS FAMILY.

Updated On: 7/8/10 at 01:24 PM

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 1:34pm

I hope he doesn't ruin it after creating that NIGHTMARE OF A SHOW, "The 101 Dalmatians Musical."

[wonkit]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 1:40pm

Is there a theater available for this?

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 1:44pm

Apparently they want the Marquis or the Hirschfeld.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 1:56pm

Zaks isn't a total hack. He used to churn out some pretty wonderful productions (House of Blue Leaves, Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls, ...Forum). I'm not saying I have total faith in him, since it's been years since he's really directed anything of quality. But, still, I have some hopes that this could turn out well.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 2:02pm

I think the difference people need to keep in mind between this and THE ADDAMS FAMILY is that the latter was a show in need of "saving."

While SISTER ACT could use some book edits, everything else is quite solid. Zaks will only really be polishing what is already a very strong body of work.

Updated On: 7/8/10 at 02:02 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 2:20pm

Well, this is disappointing news!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 2:26pm

I'm with somethingwicked, I think this is definitely much better than something like THE ADDAMS FAMILY. I just hope they are getting Patina Miller to reprise the role on Broadway, I can't imagine they'd hire an American actress to play the part in London without anticipating that she'll open the show on Broadway. Now who's rumored for Mother Superior? Quite looking forward to this.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 2:29pm

Zaks has staged nothing but disasters in recent memory. Besides The Addams Family, don't forget about his La Cage, Little Shop, Epic Proportions, and The Civil War.

I think the last hit show he directed was the Forum revival...in 1996.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 2:36pm

Jerry Zaks does a kind of show very well - specifically very fast and very furious. If there is time to pause and reflect, his direction goes south.

What I would like to know is, what kind of royalty is Paul Rudnick getting?

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 2:37pm

"He used to churn out some pretty wonderful productions (Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls)."

Both of those turned out very well, but he has not lived up to either of thos lately.

[Skywalker3]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 6:28pm

Carline Brouwer took over the direction on the west-end production. She was head of casting Stage Entertainment Nederland for years. And directed the Dutch productions of HSM and All shook up. Saw them both and they both sucked very hard! Saw Sister Act in London and I am glad to hear Jerry Zarks takes over. Well any director is better then Carline..

The story is great, the music is great, it looked great.. But the direction was very weak.

[philly03]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 7:02pm

"I just hope they are getting Patina Miller to reprise the role on Broadway, I can't imagine they'd hire an American actress to play the part in London without anticipating that she'll open the show on Broadway"

I would assume she would transfer over, but for all we know it's part of the Love Never Dies equity exchange as Slater is lyricist for both. For Woman in White, Trevor Nunn finished off with the casting of Jill Paice as Scarlett O'Hara in the mega flop Gone with the Wind a few years later (she ironically did both shows).


I agree with adamgreer on this one. Zaks is bad news... remember when he just made The Civil War a big concert revue-y show, with the big mics visible on the characters, yet then would proceed to have them act out certain parts of it. A mess!

[mallardo]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 7:12pm

I would hardly call his Little Shop and/or La Cage disasters. Personally I liked both. But be that as it may, as someone already noted, there is a kind of show he does well and Sister Act is it.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 7:13pm

Well I thought the biggest problem was going to sets having to be made smaller and less complex. Now I'm worrying if they should even bother. Did Whoopi have a say in choosing him, since she did Forum?

[TIGGOSAURUS]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 7:14pm

I think bewteen Alan Mencken's wonderful score, Patina Miller's dynamite performance and Whoopi Goldberg's longstanding attachment to this project (in whatever capacity!) this show could be a real crowd pleaser in NYC. Yes, some of the book scenes featuring the male characters could use a little rewriting, but the foundations of a very successful musical are firmly in place.

I'd love to see Patina sweep the awards next year, she is an amazing find as a relative newcomer, and all credit to her for transplanting to a foreign country for such a long stint in order to establish herself. She sould be welcomed back with open arms.

[DeNada]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 7:17pm

"I would assume she would transfer over, but for all we know it's part of the Love Never Dies equity exchange as Slater is lyricist for both. For Woman in White, Trevor Nunn finished off with the casting of Jill Paice as Scarlett O'Hara in the mega flop Gone with the Wind a few years later (she ironically did both shows)."

UK Equity has no requirement for an "exchange" like AEA does, as I understand it. There's no need for a Brit to be exchanged in return for having Patina in London.

Re: Woman in White, I don't think your summation is quite right. Woman In White starred two Americans in London - Jill Paice and Angela Christian. When it transferred to Broadway, Maria Friedman and Michael Ball came with it. I think that would have satisfied the Equity exchange rules.

Ramin and Sierra will surely cancel each other out for Equity purposes when LND eventually makes it over to the States. Glenn Slater will have nothing to do with it - and neither did Trevor Nunn for Gone With The Wind, although Jill Paice's employment may have been in exchange for Hayden Gwynne going to the States for Billy Elliot - both GWTW and Billy were managed by Colin Ingram (although I don't think Mr Ingram does Billy any more). The onus is on the producers/general managers to find an equivalent exchange, not the director or lyricist!

[philly03]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 8:02pm

Yes but arrangements could be made, especially since Slater had his two shows and had his show staged in a Lloyd Webber theatre. I wouldn't say it was on the lyricist/director, but it is possible that they worked out the arrangement in those types of terms. I was under the impression that Lloyd Webber wanted the bulk of the cast to come over, if not just Summer Strallen as well, I swore I read that somewhere but I must have been wrong.

And I'll have to do some digging, but Maria Friedman because she was by no means a "star" nor a "name" over here required two people in exchange for her. I believe Crawford was considered a name (or is in AEA anyway), and when Ball came over they had to make another arrangement.


I hope Patina transfers on that note, didn't she receive an Olivier Award nomination as well?

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/8/10 at 9:57pm

Can they get a new poster/playbill design now?